How brands build communities
Community is often reduced to a buzzword, but when cultivated correctly, it can be a powerful means for engaging customers and building loyalty. Let's dive in to find out how some brands are building communities.
Email newsletter platform Substack is beginning to catch the attention of brands as a venue for offering unique insights and deepening engagement. How are they using it, and what should marketers take away from their results?
From DIY sugaring in her dorm room to landing her product in more than 300 Ulta Beauty stores, Aliyah Marandiz shares how she built Sugardoh through authentic “anti-marketing,” community support, and navigating manufacturing challenges.
When done right, broadcast channels can inspire a feeling of being part of a brand world, and even influencing what products it makes, resulting in long-term loyalty. Measuring return on investment can be challenging, and will depend on how much value a brand places on community-building.
In its six years of doing business, Nuuly, the URBN-owned clothing rental platform, has found that word-of-mouth is its most effective growth strategy. And, according to Julia Piccone, Nuuly’s senior director of marketing, that goes beyond literal friends and family nowadays. “We know people [also] consider influencers or creators sort of like their friends and family,” she said. This knowledge led to the 2023 formation of Club Nuuly, the brand’s ambassador program.
For Mona Kattan, authenticity starts long before a brand becomes successful. “You can’t add authenticity later; it has to be in your DNA from the beginning,” she said. “From your first hire to your first product, everything should reflect your values.”
As customer acquisition has gotten more expensive, brands are relying more than ever on their most devoted shoppers to drive sales. To foster that allegiance, the latest generation of start-ups has emphasised community building from the start, with companies like skincare seller Topicals and activewear brand Bandit Running bringing customers on brand trips or soliciting their feedback on product designs.